


The First One Is The Hardest

by Tazza1993



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:13:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9595514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tazza1993/pseuds/Tazza1993
Summary: Aaron and Robert have their first row as a married couple.





	

**Author's Note:**

> When you can't sleep, write. Basically my motto in life.

It didn't take long for it to happen, of course. Their first fight as a married couple happened within a matter of weeks of saying the all important 'I Do's. Fighting was what they had always done best - fighting and loving. The two had now become almost irrevocably entwined for the pair of them. They fought because they loved each other. They loved each other even though they fought.

 

It was what happened, Robert supposed, when two so very different people fell in love. They'd always disagree on an unimaginable number of things. And they were both incredibly stubborn. Neither would ever want to lose face by giving even the smallest bit of ground. They were both fighters, too. Albeit Robert's chosen weapon of choice would always be words, whereas Aaron's tended to be his fists. Although, Aaron was certainly nifty at verbal attacks when given half a chance, Robert conceded. He had found himself on the receiving end of Aaron's tongue on more than a fair few occasions by this point. And by this point, Robert meant marriage. Robert and Aaron. Robert and Aaron forever. Robert, Aaron and Liv. A small, dysfunctional family. This time, they were fighting about their family.

 

"You had no right to say that to her!" yelled Aaron.

 

"Well, somebody had to tell her how it is," snapped Robert. "You're ridiculously soft on her and you can't even see it!"

 

They were in the back room of the pub, the Mill not yet ready to move into. Soon it would be and they would be shouting at each other in the privacy of their own home. Had the situation not been as intense, Robert might have smiled at the thought of it.

 

As it was, Robert was frustrated. Liv had been pushing the boundaries, once again. She'd been all sweetness and light in the build up to the wedding, seemingly as excited by the spontaneity of it all as everyone else had been. Robert didn't doubt that she wanted her brother to be happy. What he did doubt was her ability to behave herself for longer than a fortnight at a time. After all, she did remind him of himself as a teenager. The idea of Liv getting herself into half the bother he did at that age was terrifying in itself. And would involve a whole lot of stress related headaches and paperwork, he imagined.

 

Robert did care about Liv. How could he not, she played such a big part in Aaron's happiness? And his own, if he could bring himself to admit it. He knew what it felt like to feel like you didn't belong anywhere. He'd spent most of his formative years submerged in that very feeling. And Liv wore anger and rebellion so well, with a scowl and a heady dose of sarcasm. Usually, he could make light of her dramatic attempts at acting out and making a scene. But today she'd wound Aaron up until his husband had almost reached breaking point. And Robert didn't like to see Aaron upset. He had only lost his temper when he had seen the tell tales signs of Aaron's building stress. Nails digging into his palms, forehead furrowed, biting down on his lip - they were all symbols of Aaron losing control of himself that Robert had trained himself to look out for. After all, Robert was Aaron's husband now and it was his job to protect him. He had called Liv out on her behaviour and told her that she was behaving like a spoiled brat. Then, he hadn't been able to stop himself from adding that she was taking Aaron's affection for her for granted and throwing it back in his face. God knows, he could tell, he'd done it enough times himself. Liv had given back as good as she got and flounced out of the door. Aaron had turned to him with anger in his eyes and furious words on his lips.

 

"Well there's soft and then there's being completely uncalled for, Robert!" Aaron showed no signs of softening.

 

"She needs to learn that there's consequences for her actions, Aaron!" Robert sniped back.

 

"All you've done is make her feel like shit!"

 

"And all you've done is make her feel like anything she ever does will be forgiven instantly because you love her."

 

"That's because she's my sister, Robert!"

 

"And I'm your husband but you're still doing a pretty good job of making me feel like shit, right now!"

 

Their voices were loud and Robert knew that Chas and Charity would be hearing every word that they shouted, out in the bar, as would most of the punters. He wouldn't miss that particular aspect of living in the Woolpack, once they moved. In a way, it was like living in an enormous fishbowl, where everybody in the village could see and hear all the ins and outs of their domestic life. Once over, this would have horrified Robert. But now he was with Aaron he didn't care so much about people knowing who and what he loved. And make no mistake about it, this argument was very much about them both loving Liv. They just had very different ways of showing it.

 

Liv had been caught drinking, again, with Gabby up at the cricket pavilion. This time, there had been the added bonus of cannabis being found at the scene of their misadventures, discovered by Bernice. Aaron had tried to be tough on her but had weakened at the first appearance of Liv's teary eyes and her excuse that Gabby had been distraught at the news that Ashley's condition was once again deteriorating. Robert knew that you didn't smoke cannabis out of solidarity. Aaron knew that too, it was just that it was harder for him to come to terms with it.

 

Robert remembered digging himself into a hole so deep that climbing his way out had seemed almost impossible. He remembered a time of repressed sexuality, grain pits, hitmen and tying people he loved to radiators. And he hadn't even had the excuse of being a hormonal teenager at the time. He recalled how easy it had been to fall into the rabbit hole. It had been a world he had fallen into because he had believed himself to be untouchable and able to dodge the consequences of such impulsive and stomach churningly terrifying behaviour. It had been Aaron that had saved him, then. Aaron had made him see that no one would ever want to love him when he was doing things that were so undeniably unlovable. It was Aaron who had made him see that there were direct consequences to his behaviour. And now it frustrated Robert that Aaron couldn't seem to extend the same courtesy to his little sister. But then, Aaron had always been good at giving Robert tough love. It was one of the things that had drew Robert to him.

 

"And now she's ran off and she's probably doing the same thing all over again!" Aaron was still shouting, while pacing the room in frustration.

 

"And if she is, then it's your fault for letting her off scot free for doing it in the first place," Robert retorted.

 

"This is none of your business, Robert!"

 

"You made it my business when you married me!"

 

"Well right now, I'm wondering why I did!" Aaron hurled the words at Robert like missiles.

 

They both stormed out of the Woolpack in unison. Robert knew that Aaron would make straight for the scrapyard. And because they very well couldn't storm off to the same place, Robert went to the Mill.

 

***

 

The Mill was all starting to come together. All that was left to do was painting and decorating, really. Even in his angry state, Robert took a few seconds to think about what colour he wanted to paint the kitchen. He was thinking olive green, for now. He knew Aaron would never agree to it, though. Aaron was a massive advocate of greys and creams and not much else. Robert wondered why he had allowed his feet to carry him here when the place was so interconnected with the man who had caused his anger and hurt in the first place. The Mill was Aaron, Robert and Liv. And Aaron, Robert and Liv had been what caused this blow out in the first place.

 

Yet, Robert figured that he had always been enamoured with the idea of having a home. It was the reason why he had manipulated Lawrence into buying Home Farm three years ago. He had still seen Emmerdale as his home after everything that had happened with Andy, Max, Katie and his mother. Nowadays, his idea of home was slightly more specific. Robert's home was Aaron Dingle and everything that came with that. And Aaron had bought the Mill with his own money to build a home for his family which miraculously included Robert.

 

Even after all the harsh words, they were still a family. They were married now and Robert had said his vows with every intention of sticking to them for the rest of his life. And Robert had found himself embroiled in enough arguments with Aaron to know that he very rarely meant anything that he said in the heat of the moment. How many times had he warned Robert off when all he wanted was for him to stay? How many times had he told Robert every single home truth under the sun except for the one he meant the most? That he loved him.

 

Robert knew with every fibre of his being that Aaron loved him. He remembered their wedding day and the look in Aaron's eyes as he'd recited his wedding vows. He recalled the smile on Aaron's lips as Robert had read out his speech at the reception in the pub. He remembered the sincerity in Aaron's voice as he had told Robert exactly what he meant to him in bed that evening. It didn't take away Robert's sense of injustice at the words Aaron had thrown at him back at the Woolpack but it did add to his belief that this was just a small blip in the grand scheme of things. Himself and his husband would come through this together.

 

Aaron came to find him, not long after. Robert was sat on the floor, leaning against the living room wall by then, his knees pulled up to his chest. It was not the most comfortable of positions, he had to admit, and he was glad that Aaron had seemingly thawed so quickly. Aaron came to stand in front of him and rested a hand on Robert's angled knee.

 

"I didn't mean it," he said, at once.

 

"I know." Robert said, because he did.

 

"I married you because you make me laugh, you make me feel safe and you make me love more than I ever thought was possible," Aaron continued.

 

Robert pushed himself up on to his feet. "I also apparently make you apoplectic with anger," he joked.

 

"Well we always knew that," Aaron snorted.

 

They shared a quiet laugh together. Robert reached forward and looped his arms around Aaron's neck, pulling him in for a gentle kiss. Aaron came willingly, resting his hands on Robert's waist.

 

"Seriously, Rob," Aaron said. "You have every right to have a say in how we sort out Liv. Even if I don't necessarily agree with you."

 

"That's what I was trying to tell you," laughed Robert, lifting a hand to lazily run it through Aaron's hair.

 

"Alright, don't push it," Aaron teased.

 

"And what if I want to push it?"

 

"Then I'll have to sort you out, I suppose."

 

"Oh, and how are you planning to do that?" Robert smirked.

 

Aaron hooked his fingers into the back pockets of Robert's jeans, pushing their hips together. "I have some ideas," he said as he reached up to kiss his husband deeply.


End file.
